Clothes drier



2 Sheets-Shen l .Illl Il ||||||I l .0l Z l x a Q Q 3 M 3 2 ze 1f INVENTOR Zareeezaer .I'Jw/ZJ ATTORN EY Sept. 6, 1938o R. J. JENKS CLOTHES DRIER Filed Feb. 1, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY Patented Sept. 6, 1938 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICE CLOTHES DRIER Ransaeller J. Jenks, Lewiston, Idaho Application February 1, 1937, Serial No. 123,455

1 Claim.

This invention relates to improvements in clothes drying rack structures primarily intended for household use.

One of the objects of this invention is to. pro- 5 vide a rack structure of maximum capacity for pieces of all sizes, and a further object is to provide such a structure in a form and anassembly that will be foldable into a minimum of sp-ace and size.

In the most improved form, the structure includes a central rack supporting standard with clothes drying racks radiating therefrom, and it is a very special feature to provide a central standard that is normally unstable, and which is provided with means for engaging opposed room areassuch as the floorand ceiling to render said standard stable when in use. By means of this novel arrangement, I avoid the necessity of providing the standard with a supporting base large enough to render the structure self stable when in the performance of its drying function.

A further object and feature is to provide interacting and interdependently connected and detachable rack and supporting bars connected with each other and withsaid standard in a manner to be effectively supported in a functioning position and capable of being partly detached and folded into compact relation peripherallyfabout the standard when in a non-functioning adjustment.

An additional object 'is to provide a source of supply of heated air located upon the rack supportingstandard-i'n a position to be most 'effective'upon the Aclothes suspended from the racks, and a still further or alternative feature is to equip the standard with a means for causing circulation of the heated air, or unheated air'. A furtherfob-ject is to .not only increase the drying capacity but also Vto render the drying 40 action more effective by .the provision of means whereby large area pieces like sheets can be suspended about the-radially outer ends of the drying racks in a circumferentially depending position with respect to the standard in such a manner as effectively to concentrate and localize the -application of heated air upor'i the clothes suspended on the racks inside of said large area pieces;

lThe invention has many other objects and functionsv which will be more fully described in connection with the accompanying drawings and which will be more particularly pointedr out in and by the appended claim.

In the drawingszl .:.Fig.,.,1 is a;view inside elevation of my improved drier showing rack portions at the left thereof adjusted into a functioning position and rack portions at the right partly folded up.

Fig. 2 is a plan View section on line 2 2 of Fig. l. f .5.

Fig. 3 is a view in elevation showing the drier in a folded or non-functioning position.

Fig. flis a View in side elevation showing how sheets or other large area pieces m-ay be hung in peripheral relation about the rack structure. 10

Fig. 5 is a sectional View on line 5 5 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a sectional view on line 6 6 of Fig. 5.

Fig. '7 is a detail view of one of the bars.

Like characters of reference designate similar parts throughout the different figures of the 15 drawings.

As shown, the drier includes a central standard which may be tubular and which is designated at l. A relatively small but suitable base is shown at 2, and is conveniently connected in 2o rigid relation with said standard l, and is provided with a friction pad 3 of felt or the like, for engagement with the oor 4. The standard I, is extensible, and in the present construction, the part l, is the lower section of said standard. 25 An upper section is indicated at 4, and the same telescopes section l and may be held in its adjusted position by means such as a set screw 5. The upper end of section 4 is enlarged or provided with a head 6, having a pad 1, of felt or 30 the like for engagement with the ceiling 8, or a beam or rafter which may be the equivalent of a ceiling.

With the racks extended, as will later be described, it will be clear that this standard would 35 v be normally unstable and it is the function of this extensible feature, together with the devices 2 and 6, for engagement with the floor and ceiling, to render the structure effectively stable when in' a functioning position of'adjustment, ,10 as will later appear.

Section l is provided with a plurality of rack bar heads, which, in the present construction are two in number, but it will be understood that any desired number may be employed in View of 45 the present disclosure. The upper head is indicated at 9 andthe lower head at Ill, and as they are identical in form and function only one need be described in detail.

Referring to Figs. 5 and 6, the head l0 is shown t50 as a flat circular body which may be of wood or any desired material. The head I0 is mounted on a flange ll, of a collar I2, that is adjustable on section i, and provided with a set screw I3, to hold the head in an adjusted position length- 5:5

wise of section I. The head III terminates at I4, at its inner perimeter and is provided with a series of radially disposed grooves I5 of a depth substantially equal to one dimension of the bars, to be later described. These grooves extend from the inner portion I4 outwardly through the periphery and are equal in number to the number of rack entities employed. Intersecting each groove are transversely disposed notches I6, for a purpose that will presently appear. Y

Above head 9, section I is provided with a collar I1, having a ange I8, and a set screw I9, whereby the collar may be fixed in adjusted positions. The ange I8 is provided with a series of stringers 20, which may be cords or flexible wires, and on the outer end of each Stringer is a clothes-pin or suitable clip 2|, the purpose of which will later appear.

In many cases, an effective circulation of air will greatly hasten the drying action and hence it is a feature of the invention to provide means on the standard for causing such circulation. One such means may be in the form of a fan having blades 22 and an electrically driven body 23, to which the blades 22 are attached. This body may be rotatively mounted on section I, between thrust collars 24. A cable 25, may lead to a source of current, as will be clearly understood.

Where the drier is disposed in a cold or cool room, and also in many other instances, a source of heat to raise the temperature of the air is valuable. Hence, it is a feature of this invention to provide the standard I with an air heater, which or course may be used supplementally with the fan, or alternately with respect thereto, it being clear that under some conditions both would be desirable while under other conditions only one would be of advantage.

Any desired form of air heater would be within the province of this invention but I have shown a shell 26, disposed about section I, and

near the base thereof, and this shell is provided with a series oi openings 2l. Within the shell 26, I may provide resistance wires 28, suitably connected with a source of current through leads 29 and 30. It will be understood that leads 29 and 30, Aand also cord 25, may be plugged into outlets in the usual manner, the main feature being that my improved standard is equipped with these circulation and heating features as an integral part of its structure. Thus, when,- ever or wherever the device is employed, these features will be avail-able not only for service, but will be located in the most eiective position to render such service.

Reference will next be made to the rack bar structure and to the manner inY which the various parts are adjusted into and out of functioning positions. Y

The rack bars are divided into entities, and as many entities as desired may be employed in accordance with the dryingY capacity desired. In the drawings, I have shown eight entities, each having two drying bars, but it will be understood that additional drying bars for each entity may be employed if desired and the manner in which theyV may be incorporated will be clear from the present disclosure.

As all the rack barY entities are identical in form and function, only one need be described in detail, and they will be generally indicated at A.

Referring now more particularly to Fig. 1, an upper rack bar is shown at 3| and a lower bar at 32. The outer ends of these bars are pivoted to the upper and lower ends, respectively, of a spacing bar 33. The pivotal connection of bars 3l and 32, to spacing bar 33, is preferably a permanent connection and these connections are indicated at 34 and 35. At their inner ends, bars 3I and 32, are provided with retaining pins 36 and 31, respectively, as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, which pins project from opposite sides of said bars and are adapted to occupy notches I6, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6. When the inner end of one of said bars is disposed in a groove I5, with its retaining pins in the corresponding notches I6, such bar is held not only to a fixed radial position but also against movement in either direction lengthwise of said bar. However, this is clearly an easily detachable connection and the bar is only supported at its inner end by its respective head 9 or I0, and this connection does not serve to support the bar from descending from a horizontal position.

I employ a supporting bar 38, having its outer end pivoted at 35, and its inner end pivoted to the standard I, at 39. In order to support all the drying entities from standard I, I provide the latter with a supporting head 4I), having a series of jaws 4I, equal in number to the number of drying entities with which the structure is equipped, and it will be understood that the pivotal connection to the supportinghead will be Ypreferably permanent and not detachable. It

will now be clear that the bars 3l and 32 are supported by bar 38, through spacing bar 33.

The operation will doubtless be clear from the foregoing description but it will be recapitulated as follows:

With the parts folded as shown in Fig. 3, the entire structure is readily portable to any selected location, and when suitably located, the section 4 is extended as shown in Fig. 1, until the pad 'I is snugly engaged with the ceiling 8, while the pad 3, is engaged with the oor 4, and consequently there can be no movement of the stand ard from such position, and the same has thus been stabilized. Y

The several rack bar entities will next be extended as shown at the left of Fig. l, and finally those at the rightrwill be similarly adjusted until all have taken the extended position shown in Fig. 2.Y The manner of attaching the bars 3I and 32, will have been made clear from the previous description. If the temperature of the room is such that heated air will aid in drying the clothes, then the heater will be plugged in, and if Ythe fan is necessary, that may be connected.

The clothes are then hung on the bars 3| and 32, as shown in Fig. 1, and in practice, the bars will be much closer than herein-shown, and it will be clear that the clothes will be very Veiectively exposed to the heated air flowing out of the openings 2 of the heater, and consequently, the drying action will be greatly hastened. This is due in great measure to the fact that the heater is located near the floor so that the heated air will take its natural ascent and because of the close relation of the clothes, the latter will serve in a very eiiicient manner to deflect and spread the ascending heated air into engagement with all the clothes. A further advantage is that the clothes are radially disposed from the standard and the heater, in addition to being located near the floor, is also centrally disposed with respect to the pendent clothes.

My improved drier not only has the capacity to handle large area pieces such as sheets, but

this feature is embodied in such a manner as to cause the sheets While being dried, to also function to coni-lne the heated air.

Thus, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4, the sheets are shown having their margins overlapping the outer ends of the upper bars 3l, with the remainder hanging downwardly and in peripheral relation to the drier. 'Ihe stringers 20, with the clips 2|, serve to hold the upper margins of the sheets in the position shown, and if the sheets are disposed in the circumferential overlapping relation as shown in Fig. 4, then the ascending hot air Will be conned in a most effective manner to the area inside of the surrounding sheets. Of course, it Will be understood that the inside areas of the sheets Will also be exposed to the heated air and hence the sheets Will be quickly dried.

As a means of holding the rack bar entities in a folded position, I have shown the head I Il provided with eyes 42, and short stringers or chains 43, extend about the folded bars and hold the latter against head l0.

It is believed that the utility and advantages of the invention Will be fully understood from the foregoing description and While I have herein shown and described one speciilc form of the invention, I do not wish to be limited thereto except for such limitations as the claim may import.

I claim:-

In a compactly folclable clothes drying rack structure, a normally unstable rack supporting standard having means for engaging the floor and ceiling to render said standard stable, rack bar heads mounted on said standard, a series of clothes drying rack entities radiating from said standard and each entity comprising upper and lower substantially horizontal rack bars having their radially inner ends detachably supported on their respective heads, a spacing bar pivoted to the other ends of said rack bars, a supporting bar pivoted to said standard and to the lowermost rack bar to ooact With said heads in sustaining said rack bars in a radially extended position, said rack bars being detachable from their heads and being adapted to be folded relatively to each other and said spacing and supporting bars against said heads, and means on one i said heads for holding said folded bars thereagainst.

RANSAELLER J. JENKS. 

